Following its sponsorship of the 2018 Young Universities Summit at the University of South Florida, Times Higher Education (THE) released its annual list of Best Golden Age universities.
The University of South Florida tied for fifth on the list among American universities and 36th worldwide. The United Kingdom based THE is a data provider which helps measure university excellence around the world and helps set strategic goals for all of higher education.
THE’s Golden Age ranking looks at 13 different metrics including teaching excellence, research excellence, international collaboration and relationships with business and industry.
Universities that do not teach undergraduates are not considered, nor are those whose research did not include more than one thousand published articles from 2012-2016. This methodology is the same as the one used for THE’s World University Rankings. For more information on the methodology of the rankings, visit the THE website.
The Golden Age
The distinction “Golden Age” get its name from the period of time between 1945 and 1967, widely considered to be a significant period of university expansion and investment in research, according to the THE website.
Founded in 1956, USF is still relatively young in the world of higher education, but over its lifespan the university has shown a steady commitment to growth, research and innovation.
“USF, I think really came out to us as a university that is very passionate, very driven, very much committed to constant improvement, committed to global partnership,” Times editorial director Phil Baty said in an interview with WUSF, 89.7 FM.
The rankings were announced as part of THE’s Young Universities Summit recently hosted by USF at its Tampa campus. Compared to universities of a similar age, USF is ranked as the fifth best public university in the U.S. and sixth if you include all private universities. The other four public universities on the list are all located in California.
The ranking indicates USF’s burgeoning reputation around the world as a home to both innovation and world class education.
“Young universities think and behave differently. We are agile, creative, innovative and propelled by our desire to shape the future,” said USF President Judy Genshaft. “At USF, we are proud to be recognized for our high achievements and preeminent stature that we’ve built in such a short period of time. We know this is just the beginning.”
